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George's
beloved mother, Lesley Angold Harrison Panayiotou, died on February
26, 1997, of cancer. As any true fan knows, Mrs. Panayiotou
was his pillar of strength. We at Yours Only George express
our most sincere condolences to George and his family at this
time.

"It's
great to be able to admire your parents and most people love their
mother and father, but there were things going on when I was growing
up that I never understood. There are things about my mum that
I only realized later, things that make me really admire her.
If there's anything that I have got from her it's that she's like
a rock. I've got that stability from her."

~
George Michael, Bare, 1990

"My
father was the typical Greek who comes to London and works 24
hours a day, so his views were never impressed on me when I was
very young. I always saw it through my mother's eyes in terms
of what I should be after, and it wasn't money."

~
George Michael, Wham! The Death of a Supergroup, 1987

"I'd
got the singing bug when I was seven, and Mum had given me a tape
recorder as a present. As I got older, Dad was against the idea
but Mum began to realize that I might have something and started
to sympathize with me."

~
George Michael, Wham!, 1985

"She
pretty much used to go along with my dad in that she wanted me
to get an education so that if this incredible dream I had didn't
work out, I would have something to fall back on. But she's much
more musical, and by the time I started writing songs--by the
time I was about 17--she started to believe in me, musically."

~
George Michael, "Souled Out," Interview,
October 1988

"My
mother was a woman of great compassion, and she felt much as I
do, that we were living in a world that was gradually being drained
of that."

"Very
soon after she died, I went into the recording studio with an
artist that I very much respect, a new artist, and I recorded
a song that I hoped might help my father over the loss of someone
that he loved for 40 years."

~
George Michael, March 26, 1997

"My
mum died recently, and rather than let that slow me down, I've
tried to use it as inspiration in a way. She was incredibly proud
of what I do. Probably, parents are the only people who enjoy
a career like mine, more than the actual person involved. She
was amazingly proud."

~
George Michael, GWR-FM interview, May 30, 1997

Do
you have a memory of Lesley Panayiotou? We've created a new page
called A Tribute to Lesley Panayiotou, Through
the Fans' Eyes. It was inspired by a beautiful letter we received
from Donna, a fan who had met Mrs. Panayiotou. We were so touched
by the letter that we asked her if we could post it on this website.
Fortunately, she agreed.